Why Care & Community in India?

With scenes that range from monsoon forests to the Himalayas to flat plains and awe-inspiring temples, it is difficult to make a generalization about this diverse sub-continent. India fosters a way of life unlike anything we are used to in the West. Even the most mundane tasks, such as eating dinner or taking a rickshaw across town, become an adventure amid bustling streets full of oxen driven carts and goat herders. Come to India and sample spicy dishes presented on a banana leaf instead of a plate; silverware is optional. Escape for the weekend to catch a glimpse of wild elephants in Thekkady; cruise the backwaters of Kerala on a houseboat with other volunteers; barter for fabric in Madurai; and relax on the beaches in Pondicherry. The sights, sounds and smells that assault the senses in any Indian town must be experienced to be believed.
Our office is located in Sivakasi, a town famous for firework factories-at least 300 factories are located in this small town. Sivakasi is also known for its printing presses –the largest outside of Germany—and production of safety matches. The town has a history that reaches back more than 600 years and contributes to 80 percent of India’s total safety match production, 90 percent of India’s total firework production and 60 percent of India’s total offset printing.

Volunteering in India

In India volunteers help in care centres in Tamil Nadu. Volunteers are very much needed to help out the hard-pressed under-staffed placements. Many volunteers enjoy teaching informal, impromptu language lessons within orphanages and care homes that are much appreciated, while some volunteers have helped the children paint murals on the walls.

Why Volunteer in a Care and Community Placement?

Voluntary care work is extremely beneficial to all those involved in work in developing countries that lack social security and welfare schemes. Throughout the world, there are vast numbers of children who are orphaned or neglected, in need of love, care and affection. These qualities cannot be taught, but they make all the difference in the world. Because of the mushrooming population, there is an un-ending need for compassionate child care in this country.

People are often unaware of the impact they can have on another person's life, even the smallest gestures make a difference. Spending as little as one month working in an orphanage, a volunteer can have a significant and positive impact on the lives of underprivileged children and infants.

While the input of the volunteer is beneficial to the placement, in turn the placement proves beneficial to the volunteer. Volunteers are in a privileged position to be able to work in an environment culturally different from their own, where they can have unique experiences and develop a greater understanding of how other groups of people think and live. They go home with more self-confidence and greater knowledge of the world.